Hellfire – the stuff of legends and nightmares. Classically associated with the wrath of the gods and the acrid scent of brimstone, hellfire is also one of the background elements of hell and the torments that await there. Hellfire represents a common element of many fantasy stories and classic mythologies, but has very little presence within the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The Genius Guide to Hellfire Magic adds hellfire as a new option for a broad range of spellcasters, adding options for grim antipaladins wielding hellfire scourges, determined inquisitors calling down hellfire cages to imprison their enemies, and even good-aligned clerics and wizards drawing on the building blocks of hell to fight for justice and honor – though facing constant temptation to call upon more vile forces as they do so.

So, what is hellfire? For purposes of this product, hellfire is both a supernatural form of energy (which is similar to, but not exactly the same as, the mystic fires mortal spellcasters call upon to fuel such spells as burning hands and fireball), and a planar material (similar to magic force effects, such as those used to create everything from a simple shield to a forcecage, though not as resilient as force effects). Entire planes of existence are composed largely of hellfire, where it serves as both unescapable prison and endless and unforgiving torment to the spirits and outsiders consigned to those planes. Like the magic forces it is similar to, hellfire can be conjured, evoked, and bound into tools and defenses by mortals using powerful spells.

Hellfire is an important part of Hell and the Abyss, and as a result of being exposed to its supernatural heat, most demons and devils are either immune to normal fire or extremely resistant to it. Many evil outsiders have been so infused with hellfire that they can call upon less cosmic flames as natural abilities, and their constant manipulations and exposure have infected hellfire itself with a link to the raw powers of evil.